This disclosure relates generally to operating one or more drones and more particularly to controlling one or more drones to respond to a request for information.
Drones are small, lightweight aerial vehicles that are operated either autonomously by onboard computers or by a human operator via remote control. For autonomous flight, drones contain a GPS device that guides them along a sequence of waypoints and enables them to return to their launching point. Drones may carry small payloads, such as sensor packages, cameras, or other types of small objects. The flight time of a drone is a function of its weight, battery capacity, and operating environment, such as wind. Flight times generally range from 10-15 minutes per battery for helicopter drones and 30-50 minutes for fixed-wing drones.
Drones are becoming increasingly popular in the hobbyist/consumer market. Interest in the commercial use of drones is also increasing, as new regulations in the U.S. are being crafted to enable commercial drone flights. Industries that drones will impact include agriculture, cinematography, mining, oil & gas, emergency response, and law enforcement. These industries will need to control drones to respond to requests for information.